The changing student experience of Tier Four compliance

An overview of how the University of Edinburgh's approach to Tier Four requirements has been shaped by the student experience from 2009

to the present day

Student Administration are responsible for providing services to all students throughout their time at the University of

Edinburgh and for supporting Colleges and Schools and other student services in delivering a high quality student

experience.

Student Administration comprises the following departments

The old days . . . .

“A UKeducation“

• ‘Visa letters’ allowed easier entry• English language requirements not strict• No attendance monitoring duties• Numerous visa routes available upon

graduation• No reporting duties

A change in perception?

Reduction of net migration to the tens of thousands

The Points-Based Immigration System• Total overhaul of immigration system• Intended to mirror NZ and Australian systems• Left responsibility for students entering the UK in

hands of ‘sponsors’ • Introduced ‘sponsorship duties’• ‘Best and brightest’

2009 – the beginning . . . • Dramatic change in perception of UK HE• Statutory requirements – reputation irrelevant• No agreement – no international students• Concept of ‘monitoring’ – Orwellian?• Hostile experience to study in?• Staff overloaded with info

What to do?

• Ever changing guidance• No clarification available from UKBA• Staff in admissions/student

support/exams etc all now expected to be immigration experts

• Lengthy UKBA timescales (2years?)• Ultimately – a struggle

Tier Four compliance at UoE

• Registration• Data collection• Attendance monitoring• Reporting• CAS issuance

Registration

THEN: • Documents provided in support of registration as scans or photocopies

• All printed and data-entered manually

• Teams handling this task not immigration specialists

• Scale of task could lead to delays

NOW: • Documents provided by upload (laptop/phone)

• All checked by trained specialists

• Average 48 hour turnaround in verifying

• Data available through EUCLID as soon as uploaded

Document collection and maintenance

THEN: • All sponsorship info held on database in Student Admin

• No access for non-Student Admin staff

• Students had no oversight of data held

• Hard for schools and colleges to advise students on options

NOW: • *18 months development*• New ‘Immigration

Overview’ allows schools, colleges and support teams access to sponsorship data

• All sponsorship fields available in BI

• Students able to view and update passport/visa details and documents through MyEd

Attendance monitoring

THEN: • ‘Tier Four Census’ operating outside UoE monitoring approach

• Staff working in Census unsure of purpose

• Customer service not a priority

• Information not available to school and college staff

• Student resentment

NOW: • Staff working in Census fully briefed and able to answer queries

• Part of main SEAM policy• Customer service prioritised• Student absences permitted

with school authorisation• All data available in EUCLID• Exam attendance monitoring

from Dec 2014• Improved compliance at audit

Reporting

THEN: • Presumption students knew when reporting would happen

• Notification of reporting not made to students

• Staff not aware of circumstances leading to report being made

• Advisory services not flagged as available

• No oversight for schools/college/support areas

NOW: • Students sent detailed email when report made

• Reporting information available through EUCLID and BOXI

• Automatic change of ‘sponsored?’ status of student in EUCLID following report – real-time data

• IO services flagged to all reported students

• 2015 - training on reporting

CAS issuance

THEN: • No one point of contact• Staff specialist in other areas

having to keep immigration knowledge current

• Main student record not always correct at time of issuance

• Large workload for school and college staff at already busy periods

• Presented risk in event of audit

NOW: • One point of contact for continuing student CAS issuance

• Webpages dedicated to CAS issuance to be published (EOY)

• 24 hour turnaround in 90% of cases

• Student record issues addressed at point of CAS issuance

• Increased compliance at audit

The future . . .

• Centralised CAS issuance for new students• A ‘living’ sponsorship record available to students

through MyEd• Automated emails reminding students of their visa

and passport expiry dates• Training sessions for staff on reporting• ‘Terms and conditions’ of sponsorship to prevent

confusion regarding Tier Four conditions• Passport and visa verification at start of session

Any questions?

Kate MonroeOperations Manager, Immigration Compliance

Student Administration

Kate.monroe@ed.ac.ukExt: 51 4071